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Slow drop shots harder to catch then fast drop shots

I really don't quite understand why fast drop shots are better then slow ones, how fast do fast drop shots meant to travel, like a half smash? Me and my friends are more of a beginner-intemediate player and all of us do slow ones...well, sometimes I don't consider slow ones slow at all.

Are you suppose to reach up to the net with the 3 step footwork? I lose
balance if I lunge that far and I'm really low (the shuttle is literally at the net) and I find forehand side is much harder to catch, sometimes I even need to dive.

I do half smash, flick wrist, slow drop shots and bad drop shots(still land before the front line), well is there anypoint at all in doing fast drop shots until advance levels?

btw apart from me all of my friends I play using attacking clears instead of high clears. Are fast drop shots only for high clears?

when you hit a slow drop it drops over tight to the net height wise and tight to the net in terms of depth in the court so overall its a shot thats really close/tight to the net the advantage with that is that it requires your opponent to travel a far distance and could prove problematic for them to return depending on how late they are and all those factors. now a huge disagvantage is that since the drop is already so tight to the net it is very easy to play a tight net shot off the drop, spinning net or any other tight shot at the net because the distance between the shuttle and the net is not far at all so its easy to play it back tight because theres less room for error. depending on how slow it is your opponent has more time to get to it as well and play their shot depending on how good their footwork is.

with regards to a fast drop it lands around the service line but still travels tight to the net height wise just lands further in the court depth wise its a decently fast shot not half smash speed though id say cause then it would just be called a half smash...anyways this is an advantage because now there is a greater disance between the shuttle and the net so playing back that tight net shot, or tight spinning net shot isnt as easy to do since there is alot more room for error. another thing is you can catch your opponent with it since it is a faster paced shot and has more downwards angle on it but depends on level your playing against. a disadvantage is that since its landing further into the court your opponent wont have to move as far and could use pushes and play it flat instead of lifting etc but all that is depending on their level/skill to get it but if you set it all up just right that shouldnt be a major issue.

Adding to the above post, from my personal experience, both shots are equally important. For example:

In singles, a defensive shot i like to play is a slow tight drop shot, it almost forces the opponent to hit a net shot so it is easier for me to anticipate the next shot since it's likely to be a net shot. The fast drop shot is probably hard to hit for a beginner/intermediate because you'd have to slice it. This is my go to shot in singles as it sets me up for my attacking plays a lot of the time.

In doubles, I usually just hit fast drops (slices) as my only drop shot. It's a good shot to master to set your partner or yourself up for attacking. A strategy me and my partner like to use is the following (simple but effective): Hit a fast drop to the corner (not cross court because thats dangerous in doubles) and follow your shot to the net. Doing so causes the opponents to want to either hit a lift or cross court net shot. If they hit a lift, your opponent will counter with a smash. If they hit a cross court net, you will cut it off and this usually forces them to lift it depending on how well you cut it off.

If you're a beginner, then slow drops will be harder to get because they require you to run farther and your footwork is not very fast. In this situation the slow drop will be a very effective offensive shot.

With stronger players, getting to the net is generally not as challenging and the slow drop becomes a good opportunity to play a tight and spinning net shot. So, the offensive potential is less while the potential for a counter-attack is greater; tactically this shot is not a great choice against this type of player.

Great explanation by stumblingfeet. Slow drops work very effectively against players with weaker footwork. However, they are also more difficult to play accurately on a consistent basis when compared to fast drops. The desired flight of the shuttle is really hard to perform.